


Con Fuoco

by Ellie5192



Series: A Little Light Music [7]
Category: Major Crimes (TV)
Genre: F/M, Pre-ship, and a lover's tiff, and coffee and tea, people don't change, stubbornness and pride, they just fall in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-24
Updated: 2013-05-24
Packaged: 2017-12-12 20:39:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/815810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellie5192/pseuds/Ellie5192
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“But they’re not impartial anymore and somehow, despite the disagreements only ever being about the job, that hurts more; stings when it shouldn't. She realises that this is the first time he’s so blatantly not been on her side, and that sits uncomfortably under her skin and puts her further on edge.”<br/>Sharon Raydor/ Andy Flynn, one-shot, pre-ship, follows after Entr’acte in the Little Light Music series but can stand alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Con Fuoco

**Author's Note:**

> Written on my phone (again), because I was inspired while sitting on the train. For someone who was gearing down with this story as I approach exams, I’m doing a terrible job of it.  
> For Cami (akachankami) prompt: sharon/andy ‘your own worst enemy’. In keeping this somewhat canon related, we get some tension at work and a lovers quarrel.  
> Con fuoco: to be performed in a fiery manner (to play ‘with fire’).

**Con Fuoco**  

 

They're standing toe-to-toe in front of the whiteboard, both with their arms crossed while the others sit around watching the storm slowly unfold. They've been disagreeing on this case since the call came in, almost being deliberately antagonistic. They’re both too proud- and just a bit too honest with one another- to back down from the fight; Sharon holds her ground on principle of being in charge, Andy out of obstinacy with regard to his opinions. They’ve been snarking and ignoring each other in equal measure, and their very natures have fuelled it, as well as the close bond they’ve formed. Had they just been colleagues- even antagonistic ones- Andy would have gone into silent fury and Sharon into heavy-handed self-righteousness.

But they’re not impartial anymore and somehow, despite the disagreements only ever being about the job, that hurts more; stings when it shouldn’t. She realises that this is the first time he’s so blatantly _not_ been on her side, and that sits uncomfortably under her skin and puts her further on edge.

This current argument has been brewing for hours, and the rest of the team get front row seats; they’re not sure if they're glad for the spectacle or scared about being caught in the cross-fire.

Nobody's quite sure if it'll end with her slapping him, firing him, or kissing him. If it wasn't such a high profile murder- if the stakes weren't raised by escalating gang violence and a brutal murder- Provenza would probably take bets. 

"I say we bring him in" says Flynn, looking all kinds of subdued angry. "He's dangerous, we know he's armed, he's got gang connections and he's just waiting to pick a fight"

"You don't know that" she says, her arms crossed, shaking her head. 

"I know that if we don't get him into custody we'll have another dead body on our hands" he says with a not-so-subtle eyeroll, his tone suggesting he thinks she's an idiot. 

"Watching Luka's movements may lead us to some far more important figures in his gang- figures who may be his accomplices" she replies, ignoring him, her voice smooth despite her frustration.

She looks at Sanchez, who is nodding just slightly, letting her know that her idea has merit. With Andy playing antagonist, she’s struggling to find an ally to her cause. She’s glad she’s not shouting at nothing- that someone is hearing what she’s saying.

"I don't see why we can't just pick the kid up-" continues Andy, getting more frustrated by the minute.

"Because we don't have enough evidence to _prove_ he was involved and-"

"We _know_ he did it- it's all there" he says incredulously, voice rising, gesturing with both hands towards the board, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Circumstantial at best" she counters, equally passionate, shaking her head at him. "Without a warrant to search his house or probable cause to arrest him for the murder, picking up Luka leaves this department wide open-"

"That is complete bullshit and you know it" he shouts at her.

"Be that as it may" she starts, her voice going deliberately low, her eyes conveying a warning, her gestures becoming increasingly jittery as she struggles to hold back her anger. "This _bullshit_ is the law, and I will not risk this department with another law suit because you couldn't be bothered following a few simple instructions"

They’ve rarely seen her so flustered- only the Chief had ever incited this kind of blind rage, where her every emotion comes to the surface, and she practically jumps on the spot like a tantrum-induced child. It could almost be comical, if they weren't witnessing a partnership potentially fall to pieces.

Shouting, he replies with pure sarcasm. "Well excuse me for caring more about justice than protecting your damn precious rule book"

"Enough" she barks, her eyes are wide and furious, her lips pursed. "You're off this stake out"

Everyone looks shocked by her decision, nobody more than Andy. Having him off the team messes up their entire operational strategy and will require a complete reshuffle of their plan.

"Wha-?" he squeaks, not quite believing that she's serious.

For a moment the fight leaves him, his wide eyes not quite believing he found her breaking point; betraying that he never meant to take it that far.

"You heard me. Go home. Clear your head"

He is jolted out of his shock, and his anger returns with a vengeance. It’s been quite some time since she took front row to one of his FID-worthy incidents, and he’s almost making up for it on this case.

"That's crap" he spits.

"Out, Lieutenant" she barks again, pointing towards the door. "Now"

They stare at each other for a long, cold minute, neither one moving or blinking. Finally Andy admits he'll never win, and huffs.

"Bullshit" he mutters, sneering at her, picking up his jacket with too much aggression, slamming his keys into his hand, and stalking down the hallway towards the elevators. They hear a distant thud, like a fist hitting a wall (though thankfully not going through it), and it makes Sharon flinch, her eyes closed, before the elevator dings and a silence descends. 

Half the team looks sad, the other confused, and Provenza looks about ready to jump into a ring and box it out. 

She turns her hard eyes back toward the rest of them, eying each and every one with a scowl. 

"Anyone else?" 

They all look down, Tao slightly shaking his head, Provenza losing his fight.

There is no denying her logic- their evidence against Luka is weak, and they have no solid proof that he was directly involved in the murder- but they are all painfully aware that he has the means and opportunity to kill again. Andy wants to stop it, Sharon wants to play the long game; it's a tough call, and almost impossible to decide who is right. 

But in the end it's her call, and they accepted that part of the job too long ago to start questioning it now. 

Later that night the team escort young Luka kicking and screaming through the murder room and into an interview room. It had been a close call- Luka had gotten as close to his intended victim as Andy had predicted he would, and just a bit closer, due in part to the changes they had made to their plan in Andy's absence. However, they were thankfully able to intercept his killing spree, and could now arrest him on attempted murder, giving them enough time to build their case against him for the first murder. 

Sharon grudgingly admits to herself that Andy had a point when he suggested they just pick him up; the night could have easily turned out differently, and not for the better. 

"Lucky we got there in time, huh?" says Provenza in the hallway, knowingly but not cruelly reminding her of the very conversation she is replaying in her head. 

"Yes. Lucky" 

He only nods at her, an almost unreadable smirk on his face, her tone only slightly remorseful. They are two old horses who know this game very well; they don't need to say much else. 

They all make their way home that night, content to let Luka sit in holding while they recharge their batteries and come back to it in the morning with fresh eyes. 

Sharon commends their work, and they all head out, and it's only when she finds herself lingering by a certain person's desk that she sighs and shakes her head. 

It all worked out. That's the main thing.

At home Rusty notices her silence, and though he makes a half-hearted attempt to pull her out of it, he is perceptive enough to leave her be, curled on the couch reading a novel like she doesn’t have a million thoughts running through her head.

She wants to feel sorry. She doesn’t. She wants to drive over to his house and apologise, and ask for his friendship back, and convince him that she’s right, and tell him that she hears him, but damn it just be wrong this one time. She wants to sit him down and nut it out, and tell him that the stakeout would have been a lot less messy if he had been there. She wants him to see that she did the smart thing; the long play worked this time, and it was thanks to her holding her ground.

She’s sorry they fought; she’s not sorry about her decision. It’s a very confusing emotion.

She wants him to be less stubborn. Except that’s not right either, because when his hot-headed indignation is in her court it’s one of her favourite weapons to use. It’s part of who he is.

She goes to bed feeling somewhat lonely again, this time not because she has his friendship but because she fears she doesn’t.

It’s an unsettling feeling.  
She determinedly brushes it aside and falls into dreamless sleep.

The next morning they question Luka again, and it seems that a night in a cell and years of prison ahead of him were incentive enough to offer them more information. It's not much, but it still helps. Sykes and Sanchez head out to follow leads, Buzz and Tao are still reviewing video footage, and Provenza is making a dozen phone calls when Vice sends over a stack of related files. Sharon takes them to her office and starts the gruelling process of sifting through the information, looking for connections among the innumerable related killings and paybacks. 

God, she hates gangs. 

Messy, convoluted work. 

There's a light rap on her door and she utters a 'come in' as she's placing another dead-end file in the 'no' pile. She knows exactly who it is. He skulks into her office, looking every bit the chastised school boy, and she has to fight showing a smirk. If he thinks he's the first officer to get up in her face, he has a very short memory. 

Still, it’s nice to know he genuinely feels regretful.

"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" 

"I- ah... I came to apologise, Captain. I was out of line, and, well I'm sorry"

She quirks an eyebrow, her smirk just shining through. He still won't meet her eye. 

"Take a seat" she clips, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. He lowers himself slowly, obviously wondering if she's about to throw the whole damn rule book at him, his latest stunt the final straw. 

"I accept your apology" 

He nods in relief and leans back. 

"Now, can you accept mine?"

He looks up at her with a frown, completely baffled, and actually visibly shakes his head. "Captain?"

"You were not wrong, Andy. You might try for better communication skills, but you had a very good point, and I should have listened to your judgement sooner- maybe compromised. I'm sorry that I didn't"

"Hey" he shrugs, grinning a little bit. "It's your prerogative- you're the boss"

"Yes I am. And you might remember that once in a while. But a boss is only as good as the people they command, and by dismissing your opinion I diminished the effectiveness of this team, almost leading to the death of another young man. I'm not an island, and I can be wrong. And this time I was wrong"

"Can I get that in writing?"

"Don't push me"

He holds up his hand in surrender. They look at each other for a moment, her smirk finally shining through, letting him know that she finds him more amusing than offensive; that the rapport and respect they’ve been building is foundation enough to see them past this. His eyes are bright, and he has a cheeky grin on his face, and she can't deny that she finds him absolutely adorable. Their own obstinate natures will no doubt cause friction in the future, but to find themselves on the other side of this storm- to know that everything will be okay, if a little bit shaken- a relief that neither one of them expected, but that they both welcome.

"Does this mean that all I had to do to get out of insubordination charges in the past was to apologise?" 

She barks out a laugh, possibly surprising him, though he looks delighted when she keeps grinning. 

"If only. Would have made my life a lot easier if you had" 

"Don't know what you mean" he says with a sly look. 

"Then you forget that I was your FID file manager for almost three years. I've seen your jacket- hell, I didn't have to do gym weights while I was handling your jacket"

"You go to the gym?" 

Part of him actually really wants an answer to that question. She picks up her pen and opens a file on her desk.

"Get out before I change my mind"

Her eyes look dark, but the tiny grin on her face betrays her amusement, and he gives a nonchalant shrug as he slips a hand in his pocket and waltzes out of her office. The smartarse insubordinate is not just a role he’s good at- it’s who he is and how he functions. It’s comforting to know that she acknowledges that.

As the door closes she snorts again, shaking her head. 

She probably shouldn't let him get away with his blatant disregard for her authority, but she thinks he's learned his lesson, and she gets the impression that he respects her enough to toe the line in the future. Or at least try to. That and, well, it's Andy Flynn. It was only a matter of time.

They meet up again by the coffee machine, much later in the day, their case only a few hours of legwork from being solved. He's making himself a cup, and when he notices her walking into the break room he wordlessly grabs her mug from the cupboard and puts a teabag in it. He still looks a bit like a chastised child, cautious in how close he stands to her. 

"Thank you" she says, a little bit surprised, but not really. 

He just nods at her. 

They prepare their drinks side by side, silent, but not needing to speak. There's still a lingering tension over their argument last night, but their conversation in her office has stopped it feeling hostile. 

He pulls a container of sweets and slices from the fridge while she's pouring hot water into her mug and he holds it out to her in offering, picking one for himself. She gives him a questioning look. 

"Made 'em myself"

"You made them?" she asks incredulously, raising one eyebrow. 

"Bought them" 

"Uh-huh"

She smirks at him, and picks out half of a vanilla slice, muttering something about a diet under her breath.

"You don't need to worry about that" he mutters back, putting the container back in the fridge, and she rolls her eyes as she takes a bite. She collects her mug and walks to the door. 

"Thanks for the slice" she calls over her shoulder. 

She's gone before he can turn around and acknowledge her, the click of her heals echoing down the hall. He's not sure if that was innuendo, but hot damn if it didn't sound like it. And if his one-track mind starts equating dessert and tea with make-up sex, well, there's no rule against that. 

He checked.


End file.
